Corrina Hewat

Brian Cunningham Says “No One is Too Old To Learn the Sean-nós Dance” (Interview)

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Brian Cunningham Atlantic Steps

Brian Cunningham is in the middle of his Atlantic Steps tour. It is definitely gaining momentum as more venues are filled and more dances performed for the pleasure of the eager crowd. It is doing great that reaped a positive review from The Boston Globe. The Irish and the whole Celtic music scene are  excited as something fresh is making its way into the mainstream consciousness. Yes fresh but actually taken from something ancient. This is the beauty of Sean Nos dancing. It is definitely Irish all the way. It is also a kind of dance that has become obscured but now found a new audience in both young and old. I first got acquainted with the term after reading Dark Dealings by Karen Victoria Smith. At first, I thought Sean Nos only referred to the type of singing which also translates to “Old Style.

An observer of Sean Nos dancing who is new to this art would notice similarity to American tap dance. But remember that American music and dance are both influenced by the Irish culture. Brian Cunningham answered these question between sessions. He was  prompt friendly in getting back to my questions. The thing about real artists is that they are both eager to perform the art tell the world about it.

Here is a brief info about Sean Nos dance from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean-nos_dance: Sean-nós dance is an older style of traditional solo Irish dance. It is a casual dance form (as opposed to the more formal competition-oriented form) of Irish Stepdancing. “Sean Nós” in the Irish language means “old style” and refers to various activities, including sean-nós song and sean-nós dance. These less common forms of Irish dance and traditional Irish singing have been documented by folklorists and song collectors (AKA ethnomusicologists), but still often form part of the traditional dance scene in Ireland.

There is a huge resurgence of Sean Nos dancing not just from Ireland but also from the whole Irish diaspora. How to you feel being in the middle of it all?

It’s great to be in the middle of this huge revival of an ancient dance form sean nos dance. It’s a well minded and respected art form, so it’s important that it’s revived in a special way.

So tell us more about Atlantic Steps. You are in the midst of a tour I believe? How’s it going so far?

We just finished our USA tour with Atlantic Steps, and it’s flying high thank God! More info about the tour available here :www.atlanticsteps.com

How did you develop the love for traditional dancing?

I developed my love for sean nos dance at the age of  five. I love the freeness and excitement it brings to me and the people I perform to.

 Can you cite the dancers who influenced your desire to follow this path?
I learned how to dance from my father, and he learned from his grandfather. I was also influenced be the great Mairtin Beg O Griofa and Seamus Devan. It all comes from the heart and our culture in Connemara.

If someone who is new to Sean Nos dancing  asks you ‘what is sean nos dancing,’ what’s your answer?

If someone asks me what sean nos dancing is, I would say it’s not just ‘steps of a dance.’ Sean nos is a story, and the oldest dance story we have in Ireland. It’s the feeling you get and the passion you feel. When you do  sean nos dancing, the rhythm is coming from inside.

What will happen this year in terms of Atlantic Steps and side projects?

My plans for the next year is to keep working on atlantic steps and most of all to keep trying to take part in the revival of sean nos dance. My biggest goal is to tell the story and as it was not just dance.

Points to remember when someone as old as 38 gets into Irish dancing?
When someone is getting into Irish dancing, the thing to keep in mind is, there are no rules or regulations with sean nos. People of 60 years and up, werethe best dancers. They had the style mastered even back in the day when it was danced in country kitchens around the open fire.

Brian Cunningham is performing in Boston this weekend.

Brian Cunningham

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl8VSe_i6Ws

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmJQwpZ3K0s

‘Atlantic Steps’ is the inspiring epic story of Ireland’s oldest dance form, portrayed through the music, song, dance and Atlantic-Ocean-inspired energy of the Connemara region. For booking information, contact JRA Fine Arts at info@jrafinearts.com or 888.939.ARTS (2787).

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Huzzah!

Here we are again with our fabulous edition of the Huzzah! following the Brian Cunningham interview above. I am dizzy while writing this because it is past 11. Sometimes I think I am getting old due to my ‘punctual’ sleeping habits. So what’s up? Well I want to touch about amusing pictures on top of our usual musical recommendation.

I want to say that The Folkalists made amusing pictures via their fb page. Take a look at these:

Click to enlarge

the folkalists

If you want to know how they sound like, then just try to imagine, Simon and Garfunkel with a good dose of The beach Boys and Planxty for the good measure. The sound is characterized by tight harmonies and lush instrumentation. Can’t wait for an actual album from The Folkalists. Here is a link to their demo: http://soundcloud.com/stubbornassmusic/i-will-always-be-around

Check out this amazing link: Caitlín Nic Gabhann wins Traditional Album of the Year 2012

Sliotar is preparing for their march and April gigs. For those who are new to the band, this video gives you an idea about the music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=939HwEOslR8

Saw Doctors to hit Cleveland this March: http://www.examiner.com/article/saw-doctors-to-bring-irish-rock-back-to-cleveland-march-21st

Fraser Fifield

Click to enlarge

Scottish piper Fraser Fifield is in Holland performing with The Nordanians. Here is a video of the music for those who are curious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5WiGLCIeKs

Martial Tricoche (Manau) continues to make waves in France with the release of his new album plus an interesting music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F89yQ0Ty8nk&feature=share

Corrina Hewat

Corrina Hewat

Corrina Hewat is busy with www.pathhead.info and for those who are curious to visit the venue check this link for details: http://www.facebook.com/events/429483663803297/

Our previous featured artist Nick Burbridge has a recording up via bandcamp:

Wild Irish Poet

Wild Irish Poet

Poetry reading of The Purge – Michael Hartnett- Read by Alan Cooke – aka Wild Irish Poet: http://youtu.be/tA3aJP0vZlQ

An interesting version of She Moved Through the Fair by the sister of Eve Williams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMU0fkNlcJY&feature=share&list=UUiM_gxyu6Ii3np7Z8ga-F1A

That’s it folks. Now don’t worry if you think I miss something. I will make it up on the next edition which will be on Friday!

Corrina Hewat: Between Life and Music (Interview)

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Plus: Nova Scotia singer/songwriter Layne Greene for our EP review, Lady of the Woods: New Single from Jamie Smith’s Mabon album Windblown and Cormac O Caoimh

https://www.facebook.com/corrinahewat

http://www.corrinahewat.com/

http://www.unusualsuspects.uk.com/

http://www.myspace.com/unusualsuspectsscotland

Corrina Hewat is our featured artist this week. She is a mom, a harp teacher, and a good friend to the harp community. She is promoting her project the Harp Village . “We have The Duplets, Maire Ni Chathasaigh and me and David the whole weekend, so it is a lovely mix of music and company!! The more people who come along, the better, so all publicity is great.”

Corrina Hewat has an eclectic sound. She walks between the world of traditional and avant-garde music. Listening to her album My Favorite Place  her project bands including  BACHUÉ give me a glimpse to her wide influences. Her music captures the Celtic sense of atmosphere and space while her refined style made her recordings at home with the urban world.

You have a huge catalog or recordings now. Do you have recordings you wish you could have improved? I am not saying they need improvement because your recordings sound polished but personally what do you think ?

All my recordings are purely ‘snapshots’ of where I was then. All the recordings are affected by where they were recorded, who was playing, how I was/we were at the time. I only ever set out to capture moments of time, and I believe that is what they all are. Every single one of them I would change and every single one of them I would keep the same as well. I don’t tend to listen to myself too much, and it only ever comes up on shuffle in the car mostly, so I can press ‘skip’ and move on. Or sometimes I listen and say ‘woah, what the heck was I thinking?!!’. Or ‘ooh that is a surprising bit’ or ‘wish I had done that instead’ or all sorts. Anyway, it’s all past stuff, so I don’t really have time to think about what I would have done better. I could have done it all better. And I will always think that.

So far, how is the experience working with BACHUÉ. Is there another BACHUÉ project in the making ?

I loved Bachue very much. It was a good fun thing and a happy thing. But it got swamped with all the other stuff that was going on, so it took a back seat for a while. I am going to do a duo gig with David Milligan in September at the Harp Village (28th – 30th September in Cromarty, The Black Isle in the Highlands of Scotland http://www.cromartyartstrust.org.uk/the-harp-village-2010.asp) and that will be the first time in ages we actually have done a gig together in such an intimate format. I’m looking forward to it. We play well together!!

You also teach harp. Does teaching come first and being an artist second?

 Being an artist/musician comes first. Not that teaching comes second, but at the moment for me, I still want to write music, play and perform music, and if I can fit in teaching as well, then I do. I took on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Principal Scottish Harp Tutor job last year, and I have the help and support of Heather Downie. If I didn’t have that secondary support, then I couldn’t have said yes to it. I believe I need to continue to work towards being an inspired, creative musician and writer and strive to better myself and my work. My students will then have a happy, sharing, generous, inspired teacher. I have very few private pupils, due to my time constraints and time away touring or teaching workshops/week-long schools.

How has motherhood shaped your music and what is different now compared to when you were starting being a recording artist?

Motherhood changed me completely. Life is a joy, not a struggle now. (I used to think it was all so hard. And had a heap of crap I was carrying on my shoulders which I needed to unburden myself of, to move on.) And I lived a very ‘messy’ lifestyle but now there is no need for all that. The joy is in me and around me. Music is a joy – although finding time for it is slightly complicated sometimes. But I love being a mother so much. It ‘completed’ things for me which I didn’t realise needed completing! And I still believe my life, the traveling, the ‘being all consumed by music when in the middle of writing it’, and all that goes with being a musician, is still worth it, as I am a more fulfilled person. And if I am happy then I am a better mum.

What are the things you want to introduce to the harp scene? What is your grand vision?

I wanted to introduce a more relaxed approach to harp, and a more relaxed and creative approach to arranging. I found when I started playing that there were very few arrangements out there I even liked! Boring chordal movements, same patterns over and over again, as if that was all the harp could do! So pretty much as soon as I started learning the harp, (around the age of 12 or 13) I started writing music on the harp, arranging traditional tunes, putting mad sets together, learning music off tapes (remember them??!). I had a great teacher to start me off – Christine Martin (who is the book publisher Taigh Na Teud) – she gave me the basics, introduced me to the Clarsach Society (who I eventually hired a harp from for many years), and introduced me to the work of Savourna Stevenson. That gave me the impetus to keep writing and playing and trying to make more of the instrument. I have had amazing teachers, although sporadic. Christine for a year, then yearly weekend courses until I went to the RSAMD (now called the RCS) where i had Sanchia Pielou for a year. Then Maire Ni Chathasaigh when I was doing the jazz degree course. These three teachers gave me so much input and I thank them for it. I was a ‘wayward’ child, and they steered me well. Sileas also gave me inspiration as they were doing fun things with the harp in trad music.

My grand vision?? I want to inspire folk with my music. Inspire them emotionally, move them. Write music which people can live with and enjoy. Move them like I have been moved by others music.

Please visit the Harp Village project here: http://www.cromartyartstrust.org.uk/the-harp-village-2010.asp

Sample recordings:

A live clip of the Unusual Suspects at The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, 29 January 2011 as part of the Celtic Connections Festival. Featuring the tunes “Sandy Broon’s” & “Bogle’s Majority”.
Line-up:
Corrina Hewat (harp/vocal)
Ewan Robertson (guitar/vocal)
Eilidh Shaw (fiddle)
Anna Massie (fiddle)
Catriona Macdonald (fiddle)
Patsy Reid (fiddle)
Mairearad Green (accordion/ pipes)
Calum MacCrimmon (pipes/ whistle)
Donal Brown (pipes/flute)
Rick Taylor (trombone)
Nigel Hitchcock (saxophone)
Ryan Quigley (trumpet)
Colin Steele (trumpet)
Dave Milligan (piano)
Tom Lyne (bass)
Alyn Cosker (drums)
Donald Hay (percussion)

Here’s a clip of Scottish harp player Corrina Hewat playing a jig she wrote for Martyn Bennett. This is from Corrina’s online Scottish harp (clarsach) course at ayepod.net. Check it out at http://www.ayepod.net/webcasts/teaching/teaching.htm

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Lady of the Woods: New Single from Jamie Smith’s Mabon.

Album art for 'Windblown"

Ok I have heard the entire song and I like it! It is catchy, well crafted and the vocal harmonies are amazing. First time I heard a vocal track from the band that is known to perform great instrumental tunes. If you haven’t yet have  a listen here and also download the track for FREE: http://www.jamiesmithsmabon.com/windblown/ 

If you are a band I’d suggest you get a photographer this band has. The pictures do an amazing way to promote the music!

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Nova Scotia singer/songwriter Layne Greene with Live!EP

Tea buddies: Layne Greene-Vocals/Guitar
Alexander MacNeil-Guitar
Artwork by The Celtic Music Fan.

Carving the modern Nova Scotia with the stories of people and places.

Genre: Folk

Released  August 30, 2012

Personnel:
Layne Greene-Vocals/Guitar
Alex MacNeil-Guitar
Shawn Bisson-Mixing/Engineer
Andy Cunningham- Photography/crew

http://laynegreene.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/LayneGreeneFolk

Knox Presbyterian Church located in Blue Mountain, Nova Scotia

Recording a crisp clear album impromptu takes a lot of skill to achieve. But singer/songwriter Layne Greene has been mixing and arranging music for years. So the live EP was conceived out of the desire to come up with songs that he recorded and arranged in the past but wanted a different take on them. This  Business Administration major from St. Francis Xavier University(now in his sophomore year) juggles between making music and seeing himself producing them in the future. He even jokes that :” If worse comes to worse, I can work a crappy, well

paying, desk job”. Well I am sure it won’t come to that because he makes excellent songs that are well crafted.

One of the songs here called Working Man is dedicated to his grandfather who is a carpenter and builder of musical instruments. There are other songs that are biographical in nature. His lyrics show an introspective and philosophical nature. Although he admits that he isn’t much of a lyrics guy. He is more prone to think of songs like cathedrals with their intricate structures and designs.

Alexander MacNeil is a jazz musician who is also working with Layne on another recording. He adds his distinctive guitar style to this project. He  also did the backing vocals in Iron Town. He has his own jazz Trio and Quartet. You can tell that these two made a great tandem in this EP.

One of the things that I really appreciate about this EP is the atmospheric beauty of all the tracks.  I asked Layne if they used studio reverb and he said no. Everything in this project- especially the acoustic density -is through the interior of the  Knox Presbyterian Church located in Blue Mountain, Nova Scotia, Canada. Engineering/mixing credit goes to  Shawn Bisson who flawlessly captured the soul of the venue with such exquisite attention to detail.

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Music VLOG: Cormac O Caoimh – Just Love here

http://www.thecitadels.net/

http://itunes.apple.com/ie/artist/cormac-o-caoimh/id467679675

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/CormacOCaoimh

I recent;y got acquainted with this wonderful artist who just released his album A New Season for Love. I am impressed with his vocal quality. I love it and his music is really worth your ears after  a long day’s work.

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More album reviews coming up in a few days!

The Harp Village, Catriona McKay and Bagad Kemper

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Plus today in pictures: Cheers+Greenland Whalefishers and The Electric Light Programme.

With readership and endorsements growing, it is easy for me to have CONTINUITY. It is great to mix and match music. And you know what’s fun?Having to write sooo little yet expose so MUCH music. What are we having for weeks to come? We will have Corrina Hewat, novelist Karen Victoria Smith, Calum Stewart and Will Tun and the Wasters. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. We will have MORE!

Corrina Hewat is promoting Harp Village. The last event happened in 2010. September is going to be exciting!

The harp village 2012

Friday September 28th – Sunday September 30th

in venues all round Cromarty

I went and checked Cromarty Arts Trust and it is really an amazing venue:

It says Cromarty Arts Trust was established in 1987

Aims and objectives

  • To support the conservation of buildings of historical or architectural importance
  • To promote the advancement of education
  • To encourage the conservation of natural features, landscape, ecology and character of the area
  • To stimulate public interest in the history, character, beauty and wildlife of the area
  • To nurture artistic activity, locally nationally and internationally.

In pursuance of these aims we have raised over £1 million for the following purposes:

Restoration and conversion of three architecturally important buildings in Cromarty

The Brewery, restored in 1989 and now operated as the Cromarty Training Centre; The Stables, a Listed Grade A building restored in 1995; and Ardyne, a fine example of a merchant’s house restored in 1994.

More of that info here: http://www.cromartyartstrust.org.uk/the-trust.asp

Corrina Hewat burning the harp strings photo taken by Dougie Cunningham

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More of Catriona McKay


http://www.catrionamckay.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/catrionamckayharp

Don’t forget the amazing set by Catriona McKay. See Olov Johansson & Catriona McKay at Chief O’Neill’s on Fri the 7th!

You will see more of this delicate playing when you go watch the performance.

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Music from Brittany: Bagad Kemper

Guéna Lamour: Road-trip West Coast /Australia

Guéna Lamour was part of the Celtic/pop group Meliouank playing the keyboards though  his main instrument is the bombarde. Right now he is devoting his energy to a group called Bagad Kemper and at the same time practicing for the duet competition of traditional music with a singer. Every year there is a big  competition the first week of September, of the best duets of traditional music in Brittany. Bagad Kemper does something really exciting to Breton music and I am sure after seeing these videos you’d agree.

This is more like a rehearsal.

You can see his performance focused around 5:13 of this video

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Today in Pictures: Cheers+Greenland Whalefishers 24.08.2012

Pictures courtesy of HDF hlava derava foto

More here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.277861422319237.52706.166597480112299&type=1

This is the aftermath of the most anticipated event in Celtic punk history within the Czech Republic.  Greenland Whalefishers from Norway shared the stage with Cheers, both bands playing highly charged melodic punk tunes forged through the spirit of Paddy Rock. Check out this link and also add the band to your favorites to get the latest gig updates.

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http://kclr96fm.com/the-eclectic-light/the-eclectic-light-programme-studio-2-sessions-michael-brunnock-2582012/

P.S.

KCLR 96 FM is a radio station in Carlow Kilkenny Ireland. This station covers new and old music. This link below is a recorded show from Martin Bridgeman. He has a guest in the studio Michael Brunnock and you would hear music and conversation. Martin does interesting things in his show. Have a listen.

From Martin Bridgeman:

“We’re all good. Some good news on the show front. I’ll have an interview and tunes from on Sunday from Mick McAuley and Winnie Horan from Solas and another Kilkenny Musician Colm O’Caoimh. And if all goes well, I’ll have an interview with Jacqui McShee from Pentangle shortly”…

http://www.myspace.com/theeclecticlightprogramme

Philip Knight Uncovers Omdowl Morek, His Cornish Language Album.

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Plus: Newgrange by Tina Negus and Corrina Hewat CDs

We have Philip Knight on board this week as he explains his reasons for creating a Cornish language album. I also attached an ‘artwork’ I did to further support the importance of such musical release. We have a great wealth of musical talents from Cornwall.  You will know more about it as you read further. It was fun catching up with Phil. He’s been in Spain lately bringing us the Spanish sunshine and giving us a glimpse of what’s in  his own and Cornish music in general.

•  Omdowl Morek is an album composed of melodic songs all in Cornish. How long did it take you to complete the album?

The album is the culmination of over thirty years of writing and performing songs in Kernewek. It’s a selection of the best of my own compositions, a combination of contemporary music and folk. I aimed to blend lyrics carrying traditional folk themes with those with a personal and modern flavour. Since the album comprises contemporary themes, I wanted to update my treatment to avoid a dated sound and be sure that the songs were suitable for the 21st Century. The whole process of adapting to these constraints and recording them took the equivalent of a month of concentrated recording of my vocal and instrumental work. The arrangements took a further three months of careful editing, special effects and production.

•  I like the crisp production that your son Paul Knight-Malciak has achieved. I understand he also arranged, engineered, mixed and mastered this album. How was the working experience with him?

As Paul is my son, he has a knowledge and insight regarding my love of Kernewek, my style of material and my musical aims. In view of his acumen, I was flattered that he had long pressed me to make a high-quality album. He has had ample experience with a top-flight band of both making music, arranging it and recording it and has worked with several leading technicians and producers. http://www.paulknightmusic.co.uk/ As a result I was more than confident in his abilities to direct, arrange and offer me advice. We trusted each other’s abilities and our working relationship was surprisingly civilized! Paul spent a further three months finalizing the results of my recordings, consulting with me once he had a draft album at the ready. We never once fell out during the process and I hope this shows in the finished product of which I am extremely proud.

•  All of the songs in this album are in Cornish but there is a corresponding translation to English in every song. It must have been a challenge putting everything in detail on the liner notes.

The difficulty in making an album purely in Cornish was that my potential listenership was bound to be limited as it’s a lesser-used Celtic language. With the lyrics playing such an important part in my songs, I wanted them accessible to as many as possible. Thanks to MAGA (the Cornish Language Partnership), I was able to provide an accompanying booklet in parallel translation, Cornish alongside English. Unfortunately, any such lyrics booklet proved too bulky to include in the CD. I was advised that outlets would be likely to place the album with a separate lyrics booklet in literature sections rather than music. MAGA helped me overcome this by creating a webpage where the lyrics could be accessed, http://www.magakernow.org.uk/default.aspx?page=624 whilst they also have available hard copies for distribution. I owe a debt of great thanks to them for that and their part in helping me to make the album.

•  How is Cornish music different from Irish or Scottish music in terms of melody and delivery?

Well, every language has its own lilt, cadence and rhythm and such is the case with Kernewek. It all comes down to the position of the stress, the type of the consonants and the length of vowels. In general, Cornish words are stressed on the penultimate syllable (e.g. Kernewek ). Often the most important part of a Cornish sentence tends to be placed first but there it also has great variety and subtlety of meaning according to the word order. These facts tend to dictate the way Cornish music sounds, particularly if we are talking about traditional, folk music. I suggest that Irish and Scottish music have their own distinct qualities for this reason but, in view of the many grammatical structures inherent in all Celtic languages, there are also many similarities. All the same, my own music is an attempt to bring a contemporary sound to Kernewek as a modern yet authentic, revived language. I have paid close attention to its non-English pronunciation but I hope the melodies will appeal also to English-speaking ears. The melodies of my self-penned English songs definitely have a totally different quality from my Cornish ones and only one of the songs on this album could also be sung in English (Track 5 – Karoryon Porthgwarra). In spite of that, Paul feels this is his favourite track, maybe because it is the least English-sounding, and a quirky, though folksy, tune.

•  www.kesson.com is selling your recording. I understand it also represents the best in Cornish music.

I have nothing but praise for Kesson (Harmony) as an excellent portal for all Cornish music, whether in English or Cornish. Its creator, Kit Davey, himself one of an accomplished Cornish family of active musicians and Cornish speakers, offers a professional outlet but does not seek to run the site purely on a commercial basis but rather to promote all Cornish musicians and music. He makes Cornish artists’ material available on a non-profit-making basis and, according to their requirements, offers albums as CDs or as downloads or both. Perhaps, readers might find the answer to the last question re Cornish music by trying a few samples on the Kesson website.

. Are you planning to tour your music?

I have no plans as such. The whole purpose in making this album ‘Omdowl

Philip: This was a beat group I sang and played the single-manual organ with (I’d have looked silly sitting on a tree, holding my organ!) back in about 1969-72. They were called the Velvet Touch and were Devon Pop Poll Champions.

Morek’ was to record to the best of all my creative powers with the help of my son Paul ‘s technical know-how a handful of my Cornish language songs. I have been a very active musician pretty well all my life since my teens in a wide variety of music, whether as a drummer, organist, guitarist vocalist. I have been folk singer, played in rock bands and beat groups, sung in a male voice choir, taught music to primary school kids, played in Country Dance bands. In a Cornish language capacity, I have been performing since the early eighties. With this album, I didn’t want my music in this vein to die and felt that, in some humble way, that it would be of benefit to the Cornish language world if it were to be there for all to be able to hear and access, and make their own. It is important for a revived language to be “sexy” so that young people want to take it up so it was important that the sound should appeal across age groups and, I hope, have a timeless quality. Otherwise there is always the risk that the language will become moribund and confined to traditional folk modes. It would not be to my liking to do a karaoke job of singing my songs to backing tracks though I obviously have these. I would need a band to reproduce the songs on stage as I might like. In the studio, I could form instrumentation as full as a whole band and, where vocals are concerned, multi-track my voice or even be a male voice choir as I was on the last track ‘Spyrys Agan Tir’.

. What are your major musical plans for this year?

Given funding, ideally I’d like to record a further ten or twelve songs that I’ve written in Cornish but, more than anything, I’d love to record a polished, updated, digital version of a song that I wrote for the Pan Celtic Festival in Galway, 1991, and which won Kernow first prize in the Pan Celtic Song Contest of that year. It was called ‘Deus Y’n Rag, Dolli’ (Come on, Dolly!) and was an attempt to create a Cornish language equivalent of ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, whereby I hoped to resurrect the language with a rocking appeal to Dolly Pentreath to come alive again. She was the then-supposed, last-recorded native speaker of Kernewek in about 1770, and she berated an English philologist, called Daines Barrington, who was searching Cornwall for surviving Cornish speakers, in true fishwife style by calling him ‘Ty gronek hager du!’ or ‘You ugly, black toad!’.

If I can once more enlist the recording and producing expertise of my son, Paul Knight-Malciak, this will be my project, together with an upbeat ‘b-side’ ofanother of my songs, ‘Hunlev an Omsettyans’ (Nightmare of the Invasion), which recalls the reprisal raid on Dolly Pentreath’s village of Mousehole by a section of the failed Spanish Armada.

Bolonjedhow a’n gwella/Very best wishes,
Phil Knight

Well there you have folks. Another fine addition to our ever growing musical exploration. Be sure to visit kesson and if you like Phil’s new album, have a copy yourself.

1. Men Selevan (St Levan’s Stone) 00:00
2. Tamsin (Tamsin) 03:35
3. Maria Wynn a Gernow (Blessed Mary of Cornwall) 06:46
4. Dhe Vlamya yw Hi (She is to Blame) 10:43
5. Karoryon Porthgwartha (The Lovers of Porthgwarra) 13:49
6. Dehwelyans an Marner (The Sailor’s Return) 18:50
7. Myrgh an Mor (Daughter of the Sea) 22:59
8. Kyns ty dhe vos (Before You Go) 26:56
9. Spyrys agan Tir (The Spirit of our Land) 31:14

For bilingual lyrics and more information about the artist, go to http://www.magakernow.org.uk/idoc.ashx?docid=7dfc15fd-948b-4826-bd3c-32c55c7a…

All songs written and performed by Philip Knight

Produced, arranged, engineered, mixed and mastered by Paul Knight-Malciak http://www.paulknightmusic.co.uk

Recording generously funded by MAGA http://www.magakernow.org.uk

To purchase the CD album, mp3s, and lyrics booklet go to http://www.kesson.com

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Today in pictures: Newgrange by Tina Negus watercolour/ink/pastel/waxed crayon 2007.

I love mixed media. This is an amazing painter by Tina Negus. My friend Paula brought this to my attention. We both love nice pictures and I found this heart warming. The colors are really vibrant and it is very Celtic. More interpretation can be found here: http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/newgrange/Interesting

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What’s Playing: Corrina Hewat

http://www.myspace.com/corrinahewat

Corrina Hewat: Smooth and Jazzy

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 7 Comments

 

After a few days of trivia and news about tours and album reviews, it is time to relax and listen to an artist. This is one of the things about my writing that I take delicately. Knowing an artist can sometimes be an illusive thing because you might just be talking about a certain point in an artist’s development. There are times when the challenge of getting the right material is ever present.

Harpist Corrina Hewat is an artist that tells you right away  to expect the unexpected. Just hearing the first few bars of the percussive Suntrap and Ratman told me  that I have to take aside my long-established notion that all harpists sound in a certain way. Well, her sound has that distinctive Celtic flavour but there are also elements of jazz , classical and world music. This is an artist who listens to Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares, Ella Fitzgerald, Nirvana, Earth Wind and Fire and Debussy among others. Vocally, her impressive range shines like satin sheets.  It gives you that relaxed feeling. Like night flowers, wine and the cool  breeze. Things that intoxicate the senses with promise.

Expect jazzed up traditional tunes played through her crystalline harp sound.

http://www.corrinahewat.com

http://www.myspace.com/corrinahewat

The ‘official’ Biography:

Within a few minutes of hearing her, the energy and the timing, the depth and the colour of her music will touch you. One of the leading Scottish Harp players in the world today (nominated Instrumentalist of the Year 2004 at the STMA) Corrina has toured through Europe, the Far East and Canada taking the Small Harp to a new level of excellence, combining traditional style music with contemporary attitude. She is also blessed with a stunningly earthly voice, which resonates with years of soaking up Scotland’s musical tradition, while exploring contemporary elements and jazz. She is in demand as a player, composer, arranger and teacher, and her appeal grows larger as more and more people hear and meet her. She has an astonishing ability to create and collaborate with others and this has led her to recording over 30 albums in the last twelve years. She plays a Camac Aziliz Harp (she calls it ‘Little Yellow’) and the “Big Blue” electroharp.

Corrina Hewat is co-founder & co-musical director of the extravagantic 22-piece Unusual Suspects – the folk big band dubbed The Scottish National Folk Orchestra “one of the most exciting bands I’ve ever seen” quote Mike Harding Radio 3. She is also a skilled and innovative composer and arranger, having written many large scale commissions, while also musically directing shows such as ‘Voices of the World’ 2008, ‘Songs of Conscience’ 2007, ‘Scottish Men’ 2006 and the TMSA Young Trad Tour since 2005. Corrina is a founder member of distinct bands such as Bachue, Chantan and Shine and has been involved in awarding winning and pioneering shows such as My Ain Countrie and Scottish Women.

Recent projects include a duo with Kathryn Tickell, exploring the Scottish and Northumbrian Borders traditions and vocal trio Grace, Hewat, Polwart with Karine Polwart & Annie Grace. “The world needs to hear this!”

Corrina is also developing her own one woman show for tour, incorporating a range of original and traditional music, songs and stories from her background growing up in the Scottish Highlands through to her surroundings now in the Scottish Borders. She is a stunningly versatile singer “She blends a jazz singer’s flexibility, a blues singer’s economy and a folk singer’s heart into a style that’s both natural and her very own” with an incredible range and velvety tone while also possessing a creative and powerful technique on the harp, both on the Scottish small harp and electric harp. “A range of expression and depth of technical assurance… dazzlingly nimble finger work and liberal deployment of the instrument’s big bass end”.

Corrina’s teachers in college were Sanchia Pielou and Maire Ni Chathasaigh whose tuition and style she still refers to today. She is a core tutor on the Traditional Music Degree courses at Newcastle University and the RSAMD, as well as teaching workshops and courses on harmony singing, arranging and vocal techniques.

Her recently published music book, with accompanying CD, ‘Scottish Harp’ has received critical acclaim from teachers and pupils alike. It comprises of traditional-style pieces and compositions for solo harp (Taigh Na Teud music publishers http://www.scotlandsmusic.com). Her second book is due out in 2008.

She also has six 30 minute videos available for download on for intermediate players. www.ayepod.net

DETAILS DETAILS…

Born in Edinburgh 21st December 1970
Brought up on the Black Isle, Ross and Cromarty, Highlands of Scotland